Expensive mountain bike sales – those purchased by enthusiasts – grew in 2024 according to the UK’s Bicycle Association, which looks after the interests of the British bike industry. This welcome increase in sales is one of the few highlights in a report that makes for gloomy reading if you stand on the other side of the counter, with mechanical bike volumes down 4% and e-bike sales down a surprising 5%. Compounding the bad news for LBDs is the climate of price cuts. The BA says that e-bike average selling prices are ‘plummeting amid particularly heavy discounting’, leaving margins slashed on the few bikes actually being sold.

High-end retailers with a loyal, enthusiastic customer base, have seen glimmers of hope but business remains tough.

The worst performance in 25 years

Across the whole market, BA estimates that this is the worst state the industry has been in for 25 years, with around 1.45m units sold. E-bikes represented an estimated 9% of total sales, or just 145,000 units. Contrast that with Germany, where the e-bike market was 53% of total volume in 2024, and over 2m e-bikes were sold.

Repairs and servicing has grown, but at the expense of new bike sales.

Repairs and servicing were the main areas keeping bike shops afloat in 2024, with growth in volume of 7% while total value rose by 5%. Both strong indicators that riders are spending their money on keeping their bikes in good condition rather than buying new ones.

No vaccination from Covid over-supply

In a statement that will surprise precisely no one, Simon Irons, BA’s Data and Insight Director said: “This report is a challenging read. The post-Covid overstocking, and associated heavy discounting levels in the market, persist and our industry still has a real challenge to restore margins and increase value.”

Anecdotally, several mountain bike-specific retailers we’ve spoken to have said they would have shut up shop in 2024 if it wasn’t for one or two hot brands (Amflow being one) and revenue from repairs and workshop labour.

Stagnant participation among under-16s and a healthy second-hand market means a big slow-down in kids’ bike sales.

More bad news comes in the form of weak demand for kids’ bikes, which were down around 30% compared to pre-Covid levels – bad news when under-16s are the future of the sport.

Still a buyer’s market

But the BA is putting a brave face on things, with a vaguely upbeat prediction that the “long downturn will gradually bottom out over the coming months”, and is forecasting 2% growth in bike sales for 2025. However, it still thinks e-bike sales will fall a further 1%. So it’s hardly music to the ears of bike shops across the UK. As a consumer, it seems like the discounts won’t be going anywhere soon, and if you’re in the market for a new bike (whether conventional or assisted) there’s no rush to make your purchasing decision.